ORLANDO, Fla. – A homicide investigation in downtown Orlando remains active nearly a month after friends say they found Patrick Herman dead inside a home near Lake Eola.
Herman lived at a home on East Jefferson Street, according to friends.
They said members of his running club went to check on him Sept. 7 after noticing packages piling up at the door.
Friends said the TV was on inside, the door was unlocked and Herman was found dead.
“The world lost a really smart, peaceful, loving human being,” said Michael Hollmen, a longtime friend.
News 6 first reported on this situation three weeks ago, when neighbors noticed crime scene investigator trucks parked outside the home for days.
Friends said Herman, 69, was an architect and a singer with the Orlando Gay Chorus.
Former coworker Ashley Scammell described him as someone who always showed up for the people around him.
She shared a story she said encapsulates who he was. She said he once noticed her browsing an ancestry DNA site at work and spent several days building her entire family tree from scratch.
“He found my biological father, didn’t ask anything in return, and I can never repay him for that now,” Scammell said.
Orlando Police have released limited information.
News 6 reviewed multiple police reports filed over five days, but the narrative sections were redacted.
The medical examiner’s office told News 6 the cause of death was blunt force injury of the neck.
Hollmen said the lack of information has been difficult for those close to Herman.
“It’s very troubling almost a month later to be very honest with you that we’re hearing so much and having to derive rather than know,” he said.
When News 6 asked Orlando police again Wednesday for additional details, police said the investigation remains active and they had nothing further to add.
Still unanswered:
– Whether police are searching for a suspect
– Whether investigators believe there is any public-safety threat
– Whether any arrests have been made
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